Microsoft announces budget-friendly Lumia devices
The Lumia 640 is the successor to the Lumia 630 and is, naturally, the smaller of the two. The Lumia 640 XL represents Microsoft’s attempt to move away from the potentially confusing numbering scheme across its Lumia devices.The Lumia 640 features a 5-inch 1280 x 720 screen, which is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm 400 quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It includes 8GB internal storage, which isn’t much to play with, so you’ll need to be decisive when downloading apps. The camera is possibly the most impressive part of the handset. There is an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, along with a 1 megapixel camera for selfies. Microsoft is even bringing its Lumia camera software to the Lumia 640.Its larger counterpart, the Lumia 640 XL, has a 5.7-inch display with a 1280 x 720 resolution. Most of the internal specs are quite comparable, but its camera is another step up from the Lumia 640. A 13 megapixel camera with LED flash and Carl Zeiss optics graces the rear of the device. Meanwhile, there’s a 5 megapixel camera with wide-angle lens at the front.Microsoft is planning to release the smaller Lumia 640 in April, starting at €139. The Lumia 640 XL will go on sale this month, starting at €189. If you’re holding out for a high-end Lumia device, you’ll have to wait until Windows 10 is available on Microsoft’s handsets.Microsoft revealed the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL at MWC 2015. These two budget-friendly handsets come with a free version of Office 365 Personal.
